Is Your Net Working?

In the last thirty days, I have had several conversations with friends I have worked with over the last thirty years. A theme emerged from this handful of discussions that was flattering but also an opportunity to share a few important insights.

Apparently, I’m a good networker. And my friends and colleagues admired this skill that I have practiced since I was a child. I thought I’d share my advice as it might be helpful to others.

Rule #1 – Listen when you meet someone new to understand how you might be helpful to them.

Rule #2 – Keep good notes about your conversation.

Rule #3 – When you see opportunities to be helpful in a way that they’ll accept, help them.

Rule #4 – Don’t expect anything in return. That doesn’t mean you may not ask for help or an introduction someday, just don’t expect anything from them.

Rule #5 – Find an efficiently way to keep in touch with them with some regular interval. LinkedIn makes staying connected easy.

Rule #6 – Help others to be good networkers with the same approach. Teach them not to expect anything in return but the satisfaction of being a conduit.

Rule #7 – Make networking a daily habit. I think of it as the vitamin rule. Make one new connection each day. Immediately connect with them on LinkedIn so that you can forever be connected and they can update their contact information for you.

The last 90 Days

In the last ninety days, I was able to help a friend who has helped me, find a new job at a wonderful organization. It happened because of another connection in my network. What is the ROI of those connections that I maintained over many years?

In the last ninety days, a connection which was once an adversary came to me for help. And, I helped her by letting go of the past animosity because I could. And now a past adversary is someone I helped and, a friend.

In the last ninety days, through my network, I connected two business owners who had complimentary needs but didn’t know each other. By making introductions, I got a twofer, helping two people at the same time. It was a double rush.

Net Works

Networking to help is a habit that you need to practice every day. It isn’t something you occasionally do when you need someone else’s connections. It is something you do without expectation. It is how you can participate in bringing abundance into the world, by being helpful, generous and giving.

When I was a young boy, I used to work with my grandfather George Ginsberg taking pictures. He was a commercial photographer and in the summer, we would take photographs of groups of campers. At the time, he was in his late 70’s, and I was a teenage boy. I could barely keep up with him.

He taught me a lot of life lessons about networking and connections. But the one phrase that always echoes in my mind is a question he would ask me at the end of each day.